The Secret
by Some Totally Original Username
Summary: "A very long time ago, there were many kinds of beings on the earth. There were humans, like us, then there were Dwarves, and Orcs, and Hobbits, and Elves. These are Elves. The Elves left a long time ago, and these six fell asleep. Now we protect them."
1. Chapter 1

**Not sure if I should continue... I have quite a few ideas, but... Eh, I dunno. Review and tell me?**

**.**

When I was seven, my mother knelt in front of me and told me to go to my room and close my eyes. She told me to count to six thousand, and when I did, I could come out. So I went upstairs, sat on my bed and began to count.

I heard a thumping noise from downstairs. I heard strange voices talking. I heard my father talking, as well as my mother. They all talked about one thing; the Secret.

Eventually, at about fifty-seven seconds, I finally cracked open my eyes and opened my door, just a bit, to peek outside. When I couldn't see anything, I creeped out and looked through the banister's bars curiously. Strange men were carrying things into a downstairs alcove that I'd never seen before, the doorway hidden behind a bookcase. There were six large containers, shaped like half-circle prisms, with a kind of foggy grey material covering everything except the very top. When a man passed right below me, I could see inside the prism.

It was a person sleeping inside. Or at least, it looked like it. And it didn't look like a person either. I couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman, but I could see that it was very beautiful. "Be careful." My father warned from beside the doorway.

"Don't worry, Warren, we will be." One of the strange men said.

My father sighed and ran a hand through his greying hair. "Is it safe to move the Secret here? I have a little girl. Sooner or later, she'll become curious and want to know why we never allow her near the bookcase."

"It's safest." A strange woman said. "People started to suspect at the last location. Having a wife and child makes you unlikely to have the Secret, thus making it safe."

My father sighed again. "Alright." He said, then suddenly looked up and made eye contact with me. I gasped and scrambled back against the wall just as he paled.

"Warren? What's wrong?" The first man asked.

"… Nothing." He said. "I'm going upstairs to check on my little girl, okay?" I pressed myself back against the wall as he slowly came up the stairs, his imposing figure casting a shadow over me.

"I-I'm sorry, Daddy." I whispered, and he glanced over his shoulder and sighed before kneeling in front of me.

"Well, it's too late now. Come on, I have something I need to show you."

He took my hand and picked me up, putting me on his hip and walking downstairs. The strange people glanced up at us, but didn't say anything. My father carried me down the stairs, into a plain and slightly damp-smelling room. All six prisms were lined up in the middle of the room. A glowing pad of buttons was on each one of them. He placed me on the ground, and I wandered over to one of the prisms and stared inside. It was the one I'd seen from upstairs. It was a man, I could see, though his hair was long and almost white-gold. His expression was peaceful, though he didn't move at all.

I looked up at my father. "Are they dead?" I asked.

"No." He said, walking to stand behind me. His heavy hand landed on my shoulder. "A very long time ago, there were several kinds of beings on the earth. There were humans, like us, then there were Dwarves, and Orcs, and Hobbits, and Elves. These are Elves. They are immortal and beautiful, and very powerful and dangerous – if you get on their bad side. The Elves were very connected to nature and helped keep the earth beautiful, but they left long ago, and these six fell asleep. The Dwarves and the Orcs and the Hobbits have disappeared, but these Elves are still here. They're to be woken up when it's time for the rule of Men to end."

I didn't understand a lot of what was said, but I understood some. "When will they wake up, Daddy?" I asked.

"We don't know, Eleniel." He knelt in front of them. "But you're named in their language. Your name means 'bright star' in Elvish. One day it will be time for you to protect them. You can't tell anyone about them. There are some people out there who would kill these Elves, just to stay in power. You can't let that happen. Do you understand? You can't tell _anyone._"

I nodded. "I promise I won't, Daddy."

He smiled and hugged me tightly, rocking back and forth with me in his arms as the strange people watched.

"That's my girl."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello there. I'm very sorry for the late update. We've been testing a lot where I am, plus I've been running this through several friends for their approval. Please review and tell me what you think, how I could improve, if you have any ideas... that stuff.**

**.**

Years passed. Nine years, to be exact. By then, my mother had left us and my father had fallen into a deep depression. She'd never told us exactly why, only that she was tired and didn't want anything to do with us anymore. She left when I was eight; she cut her hair and got a tattoo of a bird squawking _"Freebird!"_ on her arm and started smoking to impress a new beau. I remember that the last time she said goodbye she smelled like an ashtray. I never heard from her again.

True to my word, though, I never told a soul about the Elves. I felt oddly protective of them. I didn't know if it was because my father had instructed me to protect them or if it was something else, but I knew that I'd keep them safe, no matter what.

They were four men and two women. They all looked different, but equally beautiful and ethereal. One of the men with the long snow-white hair had a long scar across his face that looked like someone or something had slashed him with a pair of claws, though it didn't make him ugly; it made him look dangerous and toughened. My father never really talked about them anymore; so it was my job to check on them and make sure they were safe.

I wished countless times that they could wake up so I could talk to them, listen to their stories. I wasn't a social person, rather an introverted girl who would rather read and draw than go outside and go to parties. I was 'that girl,' the wallflower at the dances and during class. They used to tease me until they realized that they wouldn't get a reaction; then they just left me alone.

Sometimes I'd sit in the alcove where the Elves were and write stories about them, making up names and histories for each of them. By the time my mother had been gone for a year, I'd made up at least three different stories for each.

Outside, the world was dying. The conservatives were in an uproar about global warming, yet still fought ecological bills with every bone in their bodies. Our world was dying, and all they cared about was gas for their cars. It was disgusting, what we were doing. At the risk of getting on the soapbox, we'd been given this beautiful, gorgeous planet, then we go and kill it with our presence.

I asked my father constantly about when the Elves would wake up, and all he said was "They'll know when it's time."

So I waited. I'd moved some of my things into the alcove to make it more comfortable for me to sit there. I had my beanbag chair that I sat in, and my stack of notebooks and drawing utensils on the small bookshelf next to me, and my small pantry of snacks in case I got hungry. Next to me on the bookshelf was a picture of me, my mother and my father when we'd gone to a state fair. When I was ten I'd ripped my mother out of the picture, so it was just me and my father grinning at the camera. I sat in my chair and focused intently on a charcoal drawing of a pastel flower growing in the middle of a burnt landscape.

I didn't notice the sharp intake of breath from the Elf closest to me, or the flashing red light on his prism. I didn't notice when he opened his eyes.

I _did_ notice, however, when the prism nearest to me hissed open.

I gave out a surprised shriek and jumped to my feet as the prism's top swung open, revealing the closest Elf – the man with the long silvery-white-ish-gold hair. He sat up – _actually moved and sat up_ – then immediately groaned and cradled his head in his hands, clenching his eyes shut. My heart was racing. _Oh God. Oh God oh God oh God they're awake they're awake they're actually awake._

Eventually, he cautiously set down a foot on the ground, slowly standing up and holding onto the edge of the prism for support. He was a few inches taller than me, and rather thin and willowy, but I knew that I couldn't let that fool me; he could break my neck if he wanted to.

He glanced around, then spotted me. I was backed against the wall, my eyes wide with surprise, too shocked to move, breathe or blink. He frowned slightly, as if he was confused. "Iston le?" He asked. I didn't move, and he slowly took a step towards me. I gasped and stumbled away, and he immediately froze and held up his hands in a soothing gesture. "Avo 'osto. Avo 'osto… heniach nin? Pedich Edhellen?"

I nodded slightly. "A-a little." I stammered.

He smiled and relaxed with a slight, amused laugh. "Usually, when you say that you know a language, you reply in the same language." He said, glancing around again before returning his attention to me. He frowned slightly as soon as he did so. "Are you well?" He asked worriedly.

I nodded again. "Y-yes, yes, I-I'm fine. Just… surprised." This was happening. This was happening. This was _actually happening._ Oh my God, this was _happening right now in front of me._

He placed a hand over his heart and bowed slightly. "Please, let me introduce myself. My name is Rinion son of Glorfindel."

I forced a slight smile, taking a shaky breath. "I'm Eleniel." I said.

He raised an eyebrow and scanned me quickly, eyeing the main difference between us; my obviously unpointed ears. "An _edain_ named in the manner of the Firstborn?"

"My father told me stories." I blurted out. "About the Elves. I grew up with them. He… he named me in Elvish."

He nodded and smiled slightly, bowing again with his hand on his heard. "Mae govannen, Lady Eleniel. Elen síla lumenn' omentielvo."

Then he spotted the remaining five prisms and whipped back around to face me, his expression now dark and serious. "Why are they here? Where are we?" He demanded.

"I-I don't know! I swear, I don't!"

He looked like he was going to say something, then sighed and massaged his forehead. "Lady Eleniel, I need you to tell me the complete truth. It's very important that you do and not leave out _anything._ And I mean absolutely _anything._ Even the smallest and most insignificant ? Am I understood?" I nodded. "What… year is it? Where are we?"

I clenched my fists to keep myself calm, though I still felt like my heart was going to hammer out of my chest at any moment. "It's the year 2012 AD. According to the Christian calendar. And you're underneath my house, in the United States of America."

He looked confused, then shook it off. "How did they get here?" He asked, gesturing to the other prisms. "How did _I_ get here?"

And that was when I sat down and told him everything I knew, according to legends and the scraps of history that hadn't been destroyed through the ages. All I knew was pitiful, really, but it was still enough to shock him into leaning against his former prism and sliding to the floor by the time I'd finished. He just stared into space for a minute, then cursed and ran his hands through his hair, finally looking up at me.

"You mean to say that the Firstborn have completely left Arda?" He asked in a faint, shaken voice.

I nodded. "I don't know for how long. But when I was seven, my mother told me to close my eyes. I… I didn't, and I looked downstairs, and I saw these," I patted one of the prisms. "Being carried in here. A bunch of strange people were calling it the Secret, talking about protecting it, all that jazz. My father saw me and told me all he knew, which I just told you."

His head thumped back against the prism, his eyes glassy in thought. "I'm in a completely different age…" He murmured. "Alone… in a different world…"

I frowned at the lost expression on his face as he drew his knees to his chest. "Hey," I cautiously took a step forward and knelt by his side. I reached a hesitant hand out, hovering for a long moment, then gently touched his shoulder. He shirked back a little at the contact, turning his eyes to me, and I gave myself a mental pep talk before talking slowly, trying to piece together the right words to say.

"Rinion, I know that we don't really know each other, but… my parents told me that it was my job to protect you. _All_ of you. So… I guess what I'm trying to say is… you're not alone. I mean, I don't have very many friends, but… yeah. I'll help you with whatever you need. So… yeah…" I rubbed my neck nervously and bit my lip.

He slowly smiled a bit. "Thank you, Lady Eleniel." He said.

"Please, it's just Eleniel."

"… Eleniel."

And that was when I heard another hiss… and another… and another… and another… and another…

**.**

**Iston le? - Do I know you?**  
><strong>Avo 'osto. - Fear not.<strong>  
><strong>Heniach nin? - Do you understand me?<strong>  
><strong>Pedich Edhellen? - Do you speak Elvish?<strong>  
><strong>Mae govannen, Lady Eleniel. Elen síla lumenn' omentielvo. - Well met, Lady Eleniel. A star shines on the hour of our meeting.<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again. Thank you, my lovely reviewers, and maybe you could leave another one?**

**The text underlined are phrases in Elvish that I don't know how to translate.**

**.**

Rinion grabbed my shoulders, and in an instant he had switched our places so that I was hidden behind the prism. "Stay here." He said firmly. "Don't come out until I tell you to." I nodded, and he quickly stood. I peeked out from behind the prism to watch.

All of the remaining prisms had hissed open. Only two of the Elves seemed to be fully awake, though. They were sitting up and groaning, cursing under their breath in Elvish. Rinion grabbed the elbows of the closest one, saying something quietly that I couldn't hear. The man looked up, then burst into hearty laughter and clasped the back of Rinion's neck, shaking it slightly. They talked quietly in Elvish with matching grins. I only caught a few words; mentions of 'home' and basically asking 'What are you doing here, you son of a Warg?'

Rinion quickly turned to the other man, helping him stand up. The two new men looked exactly alike – twins. They were both dark-haired men with string faces and sharp grey eyes, even if they were clenched shut right now. I cautiously poked my head out to look at them. Suddenly, one of them glanced over at me. I gasped and hid back behind the vacated prism, my heart pounding again. He saw me. Oh no.

"Who was she?" He asked in Elvish.

"Who was who?" Rinion answered in a slightly dreading voice.

"The pretty elleth who just hid over there. Don't tell me you didn't see her."

I sighed and stood up. Rinion gave me a frustrated look that I returned with a sheepish grin. "M-mae govannen." I stammered nervously to the twins, who were looking at me with bemused expressions. "I… my name is Eleniel."

Both of the twins raised their eyebrows with surprise and exchanged glances before looking at Rinion. "Care to explain?" The said in unison.

"Have you been holding out on us with attractive women?" One asked.

"We've gone over this." The other agreed. "Ten years ago."

"At the Prancing Pony."

"It was midnight-."

"We were drinking-."

"Again-."

"And you'd just gotten over a _wicked_ case of-."

"No, no, no." Rinion held up his hands and cut them off. "My lords… my friends…" He sighed and rubbed his neck. "How do I say this…?"

"You don't. I do." I said, stepping forward. I felt all eyes on me and immediately regretted my words. "W… what are your names?"

The twins exchanged mischievous smiles, then looked back to me and bowed – once again, in unison. "Mae govannen, Lady Eleniel." They said.

"I am Elladan," The one on the right said.

"And I am Elrohir." The left one said with a softer smile, an elbow to his brother's ribs and a wink at me. "I'm this dunderhead's better half."

" 'Tis true. I'm the looks, he's the brains."

Elrohir scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Spare us. You couldn't get an elleth to kiss you if the moon was full and you spiked their tea with the Lady Galadriel's brew." **(1)**

"Which is more than I can say for you, brother dear-."

"Okay, okay." I held up my hands to quiet down their chatter. I'd had experience with twins, but… _dang._ They made you feel like a ping-pong ball.

Rinion had his arms crossed and an amused look on his face, as if to say 'I TOLD you to stay hidden, now look what has been unleashed'. "I will awaken the others." He said to be before turning towards the other prisms, leaving me with the twins, who were once again examining me, albeit this time was more critical and cautious.

"You're an _edain._" The left one – Elrohir – noted after a moment of silence in a guarded tone.

I nodded with a nervous laugh. "Well… I guess I am." I said.

"Why is an _edain_ named in the manner of Elves?" Elladan asked.

"Dan, don't ask her questions like that."

"I have a right to ask questions. And speaking of questions, why are you dressed in such a manner? Surely a young woman like yourself ought to be dressed in more befitting clothes."

"_Dan._"

"Ro."

"Snotface."

"Lichen-for-brains."

"Son of a Warg."

"Your mother was an Uruk-Hai."

I smiled slightly as I watched the banter between them with the occasional question directed at me, such as where they were, why I was dressed the way I was, why I was named in Elvish, and what the occasional knickknack did. I heard Rinion softly speaking in Elvish and helping up the three remaining people, though they remained with their backs turned to me before my attention was grabbed by another twin's question.

Finally, after explaining what soda was, we heard Rinion clear his throat behind us. We all turned to see Rinion standing with two women and the man with the scar on his face. The man was tall and old – quite obviously ancient, older than I could tell. He looked me up and down before nodding slowly; no questions or demands, just quietly taking note. One of the women was a lot like him, although she had more of a grandmotherly appearance to me. Her hair was silver-white with little wisps of gold left here and there. She smiled sweetly at me when I glanced at her, and I smiled back.

The next girl, however, was the exact polar opposite. She glared at me angrily as she hung onto Rinion's arm like an accessory. I had to admit that she was beautiful, but the way she carried herself reminded me of those girls at school, those girls that brushed past me without a second glance, and with a chorus of giggles and an explosion of whispered gossip. They were like moonflowers; beautiful, but hateful and poisonous.

"Eleniel." Rinion said, catching my attention again. He nodded to the people… the Elves. "These are my friends. The elders are Môrwen and Glandur." The old man and woman both smiled kindly at me. "And this is my friend, Minuial."

I smiled tightly and nodded my head at them. "H-hi." I stammered.

"There's no need to be frightened, dear." The old woman – Môrwen? – said with another benevolent smile. "We won't hurt you, darling. We don't bite. We're simply curious as to-."

"Where are we?" Minuial said icily, letting go of Rinion. The way she was dressed suggested someone of high standing. The way she talked wasn't directly hostile, but had a way of making you feel like you weren't even dirt. "Why are we here?"

"Rinion can explain better than I can." I said.

He shook his head with a slight smile. "No, Lady. I'm completely at a loss. I'm afraid it's up to you."

Okay. I just know he's doing this on purpose.

.

The five Elves stared at me blankly for a moment after I finished explaining everything again. But only for a moment. The twins looked at each other and raised their eyebrows at the same time. Môrwen and Glandur gave each other worried looks and clasped hands, whispering something I couldn't hear. Rinion gave me a reassuring smile that I weakly returned as I hugged my sweater tightly around me. Then I heard steps.

Minuial pushed past me. "I don't believe the _firimar._" She snapped.

"Minuial-." Rinion started to follow her.

"No! It's not true!" She stormed… up the stairs. Oh no. That's not good.

"Minuial!" We rushed after her. I heard the bookcase door bang open, then racing footsteps heading towards the back. I ran in front of all of them and navigated through my house; from the front hall to the living room, through the kitchen and the den and through the back door. I came outside to see Minuial standing rigidly on the back porch with her back to us, her hands balled into fists. Rinion shoved past me roughly and grabbed her shoulders, his face twisted with concern. "Minuial?" He asked worriedly, shaking her a little. "Minuial? _Minuial?_"

She shook out of his grasp and ran towards the back gate. She tugged on it a few times before it opened, and she disappeared into the alley. We followed her – again – through the alley and towards the intersection. I lived in a suburb complex near a highway, and there was Minuial, standing just on the curb. Tears were running down her face as she stared at the cars speeding past with their horns blaring.

I grabbed her arm and pulled her back; surprisingly, she didn't stop me. The others had the same lost expressions; ones of horror and grief and pain. Glandur gingerly knelt on the ground and gently picked up a handful of prickly, browned, dead grass. "This world is dead." He said softly and hollowly in a deep voice, filled with years of emotion… and regret.

"What is this?" Rinion asked me. I turned to face him, my heart dropping. "Eleniel… what is this place?"

I took a shaky breath. "It's a highway." I said. "It's like a-."

"We _know_ what a highway is." Elrohir growled without looking up from the ground. "We're not stupid. And _elleth,_ this is _not_ a highway."

I took another shaky breath. "It's not like the ones you're used to. They can be sometimes up to eight lanes wide and hundreds of miles long."

"Miles?" Rinion asked.

"Um…" I closed my eyes to do some quick calculations. "It's a third of a league. I think. I don't know. I-I don't know what to say." I looked at where Môrwen was sadly rubbing Glandur's shoulder while wiping tears from her face, at the twins, who were talking quietly, and at Rinion and Minuial. I'd promised to protect them, and here I was, completely unable to comfort them. "I'm so sorry."

Rinion sighed and closed his eyes tightly, shaking his head before whispering to me.

"Get us back inside."

**.**

**Mae govannen - Well met  
>Firimar - Mortal. Used as an insult.<br>Edain - Elvish word for the human race  
><strong>**Elleth - Literally "Elf-woman", but more commonly used as a term for a woman of any race. In this context, however, the Elves will be using it as an affectionate term for a very young woman. On second thought, it could either be affectionate or condescending... let's go with affectionate.**

**(1) A reference to another story, "Bliss of Natchez, MS" by the lovely LadyDoroAnne. (At least, I believe so. It's been awhile since I've read it.) Essentially, Galadiriel spikes the tea with her special herb and it causes people to act loopy and drunk. The full moon bit is another reference. In the Bliss universe, if an Elf sees the moon when it's full, they - once again - act loopy and drunk. It makes for a most amusing story. I suggest you read it at once.**


	4. Chapter 4

**So is anyone interested in being a beta for this? My usual editor/beta person now lives five hundred miles away from me. :/**

**.  
><strong>

"Dad."

I gently shook my father's shoulder. He murmured in his sleep and lazily swatted at me. His room smelled old and musty, piles of dirty clothes scattering the floor, a bag of Cheetoes on the nightstand. I sighed and shook his shoulder again as the old bed creaked softly. "Dad. It's me, Eleniel. Your only child? Please, wake up."

"Lemme sleep…" He grumbled drowsily.

I paused for a moment, then sighed again. "Dad… they're awake. The Elves."

His eyes snapped open immediately, and he grabbed my shoulders, his eyes wide and bloodshot. "_What?_" He demanded, wide awake now. "T-the Secret is awake? What on earth are you saying? When? Where? How?"

I shook him off; he wasn't as strong as he used to be. "Just an hour ago. They're up and talking downstairs."

He sat up and rubbed his eyes. My father was still a large man, though he was getting kind of… well, fat. He had heavy bags under his eyes that refused to go away after my mother left. His hair was greying quickly and he needed glasses to see, but he was still my father. He sat there with his head in his hands and his eyes wide for a little while, then he stood up. "Where are they?" He asked briskly, then laughed. "I can't believe they're awake. God… this is… unreal."

"They're in the kitchen." I said.

He nodded. "Alright… I'm going to take a quick shower and clean up. A-are they hungry?"

I blushed with embarrassment. I really was the worst hostess of all time. "I'll go ask them." I said. He smiled tightly and nodded before heading into the bathroom, shaking his head the entire way and running a hand through his hair. I turned to go down the stairs, to where the Elves were sitting silently around the kitchen table. They seemed shocked out of their minds to see the highway and the little, dead patches of grass everywhere. They told me that they could tell that a forest had once stood for miles around us, but it had been killed long ago. They said that even the ground was poisonous now.

I cleared my throat, and they looked up at me with dull eyes. "Are you hungry?" I asked. "Do you want something to eat? Drink?"

One of the twins looked up. "Ale, if you have any." He said flatly before he resumed staring at the table. But not before muttering something along the lines of "Even this wood is false…"

I glanced to the wine cabinet, then decided that the rule that I couldn't open it wasn't quite so necessary right now. Even though Dad told me it was cleaned out long ago, it was worth a shot. I quickly walked to the door and opened it.

I immediately blinked with surprise. The cabinet was stuffed to filling with alcohol. _No wonder he's an alcoholic._ I thought before grabbing a bottle of whiskey – the first thing I came into contact with. "Here." I said, grabbing six shot glasses and setting them down on the table. Minuial looked a bit offended that I'd even consider offering her one, whereas Môrwen immediately grabbed one with the others. The bottle was snatched from my hand by one of the twins, and alcohol was immediately served to all. Within minutes, half the bottle was empty and the twins had awe-inspired expressions.

"Your world is a false one," The one on the left – Elladan, I think – said. "But it has good liquor."

"I wouldn't know." I said as I sat down.

Môrwen nodded approvingly. "Good on you." She said empathetically. "Take advice from me; never take a drink." With that she downed her shot. "Rinion, be a dear and fill this up for me."

Rinion nodded and poured her another shot before turning to me. "Elves retain their liquor much better than _edain._" He said. "Even so, we do become intoxicated eventually, so as a general rule, keep these two away from it." He nodded to the twins. "My apologies, lords. It's for your own good." His apology was met with icy looks and more drinking.

I heard the water stop running downstairs, and five minutes later, my father came down the stairs. His hair was combed back and his shirt was one of his nicer dress shirts – however, he'd forgotten about his ratty old slippers.

_Typical dad._

I stood up and cleared my throat. "This is my father." I said. "He's told me everything I know about the Elves."

Glandur nodded slowly. "You know much of the Firstborn?" He asked.

Dad cleared his throat awkwardly. "I know enough." He said. "I, um, want to apologize that I wasn't available to help you."

Rinion shook his head. "Your daughter's done all she can for us." He said.

After an awkward moment, Dad sat between me and Glandur. "I know you all must have questions." He said slowly, clasping his hands together. "And I simply don't have all the answers. But I can try."

"What happened to the Elven?" Rinion instantly asked. "Eleniel told us that they've left Arda. Do you know anything else?"

Dad cleared his throat again. "We don't know exact dates, because it was so long ago." He said. "We do know that it was more than a thousand years ago. I don't know how exactly we came across you, but you've been protected for centuries."

"You say 'we'. What do you mean?"

He sighed. "When I was younger, I saw something that I shouldn't have." He said slowly. I looked up with surprise and watched his face carefully. Dad was staring at his hands and speaking slowly. "I was out late at night, and I saw… something. It's not important what, but a group of men came and erased the evidence that it had happened. They told me to forget about it, but I'd already seen it, and I wanted to know more. So they took me to a complex in the desert." He paused.

"A group of people have taken it upon themselves to see to your protection. They moved you from place to place whenever other people – people who wanted to destroy you – came close." He laughed shortly. "I became kind of obsessed with Elven lore. I scrounged for anything I could find on them, and I even named Eleniel after one." He gave me a wan smile. "There's stories everywhere about the age you lived in. The closest one is a series of stories by a man names J. R. R. Tolkien, who was actually part of our little group.

"I wasn't expecting to be trusted with the Secret. That's what you were called, anyway. I didn't think it would ever come to it. But it did – you came to my house nine years ago, when Eleniel was seven. She's been a very good guardian."

I flushed slightly and averted my eyes. I could feel amused smiles being sent my way. "So, no one remembers us?" Môrwen asked.

"They remember some things." Dad said. "Tolkien's stories is one of the most read in the entire world, so most people know a few fragments, but they think that it's made-up."

Silence hung over the table as they mulled over the information. Môrwen downed another drink with a muttered curse. "So, what do we do now?" Elrohir asked.

Dad sighed. "I guess the only thing for me to do is to call for instructions."

He stood up and walked into the hallway, where we had an old-style phone on the wall that I was never allowed to touch. I bit my lip and stared at the table as I heard Dad dial the phone. The wood pattern was laminated onto a bit of cheap plywood. Dad had made it when he was on his carpenting kick, when I was five. "What do you think will happen?" I asked, since I was at a loss.

Rinion shrugged. "I suppose we'll find out eventually." He said. Something about those words filled me with dread. No one moved or spoke, but the silence said volumes. We were confused and scared, and above all, lost. Down the hall, I heard Dad's hushed voice, like a whispered secret.

"_Hen. It's Warren. It's happened – they're awake._"


	5. Chapter 5

The rest of the day was spent moving things around the house to make room for six more occupants. Dad and Glandur moved the prisms against the wall of my alcove, the twins started moving the couches and table around in the den, and Rinion and I worked on the office/storage area to make room for mattresses. Môrwen and Minuial were on cleanup duty, last I heard.

"So the Edain truly believe that the Firstborn are merely myths?" Rinion asked me as we cleaned.

"Yep." I grunted as we started pushing an old, little-used desk out the door and into the hallway, set for the curb. "It's considered just a stupid fairy tale."

"But you're never believed that."

We stopped pushing the desk, and I sighed and dusted off my hands. "I looked after you guys ever since I was seven. Remember? It's kind of impossible to deny something when the evidence is living under your house for that long."

He laughed shortly and nodded. "Fair enough." He said.

We stuffed some boxes of old papers into the closet and opened a window to let in some air, even though Rinion started coughing and promptly denied that it was from the air. "What about you?" I asked, crossing my arms. "What is your home like?" He gave me an amused look. "I-I mean, w-what was it like? I-I mean… just answer the question!"

Rinion chuckled and shook his head as we went into the hall and picked up the last spare mattress with me. "It's very beautiful." He said, then laughed shortly. "Well. Was, anyway. I cannot aptly describe it." We dropped the mattress and moved it to its designated area, and he used his hands like paintbrushes on a canvas, his voice eager and wishful as he spoke. "Imagine tall white arches nestled between rocky valley walls, and trees that seem to go on to the heavens, like you could climb one and bring down a star to hang on a necklace. There are wide buildings with open windows and doors, and waterfalls cascading down the walls of the valley, and elegant bridges jumping over them. And there are white statues everywhere, to the Vala, the Istari, and a memorial to Gilraen, the mother of the King of Gondor. A wind blows through here, though it doesn't disturb us, it keeps up alive. The whispering of the leaves, the laughing of the water, the quiet murmuring of animals."

My eyes had widened the entire time as he'd talked, and I felt like I could reach out and touch the world he'd described. "Wow." I said. "That… sounds amazing."

He smiled slightly. "It's called Imladris. Rivendell, in the Westron tongue. I was born there, and raised by my father. I never knew what happened to my mother, if she faded, or if she sailed for Valinor." He couched next to another desk and started pushing, shaking his head when I started to help. "I was studying to be an artist, though he taught me to be adept with a sword, as well as a bow and knives." He stood back up, looking satisfied with how the desks were arranged. "Môrwen and Glandur were my schoolteachers when I was an Elfing, and Minuial has been my friend for as long as I can remember. Elladan and Elrohir are the sons of Lord Elrond, who rules Imladris, and my other great friends."

I raised an eyebrow. "You mean… they're _royalty?_"

He laughed. "Hard to imagine now, I know, but just wait. You'll see in due time." He dusted off his hands and looked around at the room. "I believe we need more mattresses."

I sighed and placed my hands on my hips, glancing around. He was right; we had eight people and room for only four. Problem was, those mattresses were all we had. "Well," I sighed. "I guess it's time to go buy some more."

.

And since it was 'inappropriate' for a 'young _elleth_' to be out and about 'without an escort,' I was being accompanied by Glandur, Elrohir and Rinion. Also known as the Responsibility Crew. We thought about how to hide their identities for awhile, then decided to stuff Rinion and Elrohir's hair into hats and give another hat to Glandur, but let him keep his down.

"Alright, remember. Elrohir, Rinion, you two are my brothers, and Glandur, you're our father." He nodded shortly, and I sighed nervously as I drove down the road. Dad had found some old clothes for them to wear, which meant that Glandur was in an old red flannel shirt and trucker cap that made him look like some creepy war veteran, and Elrohir and Rinion were in Rolling Stone and Led Zeppelin tour t-shirts.

But as of right then, they were clinging to the sides of the car with pale, drawn looks on their faces, obviously regretting the hearty lunch that Dad had made them eat beforehand. ("Can't let you be going hungry. Welcome to America.")

I finally parked outside of the mattress store, sighing nervously and licking my lips. "Okay." I said. "Everyone remember what to do-?"

"We're fine, Eleniel." Elrohir ruffled my hair like a little kid's. "Leave the worrying for old men like us, huh?"

"I would hardly call you an old man, my Lord." Glandur inserted from the backseat, his voice low and quiet, as usual. Rinion snickered lightly.

Elrohir shrugged. "Fair enough." He said before giving me a grin and getting out of the car. I got out as well, opening the back seat for Glandur and Rinion to get out. I bit my lip to steady myself again, then balled my fists and started walking towards the mattress store. With three Elves following me.

_This shouldn't be normal._

.

As soon as we entered the mattress store, we were attacked on all sides by saleswomen with too-red lipstick and too-big smiles and just generally creepy faces.

"Hello, welcome to Mattress Euphoria, where mattresses aren't just mattresses!"

"Your sleep at night is what's most important here!"

"What can _I_ do for you today?"

"_I_ know just what you need, sir, right this way!"

I grabbed Elrohir's wrist and dragged him back just as the woman was about to lead him away. "Hi." I said to the women, who looked a bit irritated I hadn't let them finish their sales pitches. "We don't need anything fancy. We're just having a family reunion and need four spare mattresses. That's it. Oh, and we're on a budget."

One of the ladies, Tanya, eventually showed us a selection of the cheapest mattresses available and promptly disappeared, handing me a card and telling me to call right away if I needed help. I sighed and glanced at the guys, who as a whole seemed pretty disturbed.

"I promise, not all girls are like that here." I said, looking at the mattresses. "Now, we need the absolute cheapest we can get, because Dad and I don't have a lot of money to spend."

"Wait." Elrohir dug around in his jean pocket, then held up a leather wallet. "Will this help?" He asked.

I grabbed the wallet from his hand and opened it, and my eyes almost popped out of my eyes. I swear to God, I've never seen so much money in one wallet in my entire life. I immediately snapped it shut and looked around quickly, making sure no one saw. "Where did you find it!" I hissed.

He looked confused. "It was on the ground outside of the door." He said. "I simply picked it up. I thought it might be of some use."

I sighed and looked down at it, opening it back up to look at the ID. Only there _wasn't_ an ID – just a phone number. I bit my lip, then grabbed half the cash and stuffed it into my pocket, reaching over and putting the wallet back into Elrohir's pocket. "No one has to know." I muttered, looking up at their slightly disapproving faces. "I don't like it either, but it's for the greater good. Now c'mon."

Two twin beds, a queen bed, and sets of sheets for all of them later, we were back at the house and heaving the mattresses inside. "How did you afford all of these?" Dad asked between gasps.

I sighed and swiped my arm across my forehead, wiping sweat from my eyes. "Discount." I said, ignoring The Responsibility Crew's pointed looks.

Before the end of the day, we had the office set up for Elladan and Elrohir, the alcove became Glandur and Môrwen's bedroom, Dad moved Minuial and I into the master bedroom, and we set up the couches with mattresses as Dad and Rinion's beds. We all managed to relax and sit around the table as Dad and Rinion cooked a spaghetti dinner with meat sauce and sausage, relishing a day accomplished.

"So." I said, leaning back. "What happens now, dad?"

"My friend Hen is on his way." He said, stirring the pasta and the red sauce at once, the ground beef sizzling in the skillet and the sausage broiling in the oven. "Rinion, the garlic?" Rinion looked between the bottles he was manning and handed Dad the proper bottle.

My eyes widened with excitement. "_Hen?!_" I demanded. "As in, redheaded Hen? As in, my babysitter Hen? As in, used to be the best uncle ever Hen?"

He laughed. "Well, he's gone gray now. After all, we're pretty old men, but yeah, it's the same old Hen."

I cheered and punched the air, then looked at the bemused Elves. "Dad's friend used to look after me when I was a kid." I said. "He was like that fun uncle that you go to for everything whenever your parents won't let you have it."

"Celeborn." Elladan, Elrohir and Rinion said at once, with pointed looks.

Môrwen gave them what I like to call The Môrwen Look of Doom. "Lord Celeborn is a stern and firm leader." She lectured. "And deserving of the highest respect, especially from his kin!"

"He also had the biggest soft spot for his grandsons that I have ever seen." Glandur added, laughing as his wife swatted his arm and snapped something good-naturedly in Elvish that roughly translated to 'Whose side are you on?'

We were all laughing and talking, and even Minual was telling jokes and having fun when there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it." I laughed, standing up and trotting over, grinning from ear to ear. However, it dropped when I opened the door to see two men in suits standing there, holding up badges.

I froze in the doorway as the two men in suits flashed their badges and promptly stowed them away. "Eleniel Waters?" One of them, the shorter one, asked in a voice like a rough-and-tumble cowboy. I nodded silently, my mouth open in shock. "I'm Jensen, this is my brother and partner Jared. We'd like to ask you a few questions."

I nodded slowly, leaning against the doorframe and closing the door as much as I could behind me. "Jensen and Jared." I said slowly, recognizing the names. "Like-?"

"The actors on the popular TV show '_Supernatural._' Yes ma'am, we get that a lot." He gave me a charming half-grin. "I can assure you, that's not us."

"What my brother is trying to ask is," The taller man with the longer hair said, stepping in front of Jensen to cut him off. "Can we come in? Ask some quick questions? We'll be out of your hair in no time."

_Oh no._

I heard people moving behind me. "Well," I said. "You see, uh, we're having a kind of family reunion and just sat down to eat dinner, and it's been awhile since we've all been together. So, uh, maybe another time-?"

"Spaghetti, right?" The smaller man grinned again. "Can smell it out here. Man, Jared, remember when Mom used to cook up spaghetti? The entire place would smell like garlic bread and red sauce, and we knew it was comin' all day. Sure there's no chance of us coming in, Miss Waters? It's been awhile since we've had a spaghetti dinner."

I tightened my grip on the door to keep myself calm. "Sir, it's a _family gathering_. Now please, if you'll-."

I was cut off by the door being opened behind me and turning to see Glandur standing over me. "Yes?" He asked in that booming, rumbling voice of his that made the two men in front of me get a little jittery.

The brothers exchanged glances. "Um…" Jared glanced at a piece of paper. "Are you Warren Waters?"

He shook his head. "I am Eleniel's stepfather." He placed a heavy hand on my shoulder, pulling me away from the brothers and closer to him, almost protectively. The brothers looked a bit alarmed. "Now, if you will kindly forgive us, we are having a private family gathering, and would like to keep it that way."

"Wait." Jared took a step, then stopped as soon as he met Glandur's sharp glare. "Please, let's start over. My name is Jared, this is my loud-mouth brother and partner Jensen. We just need to ask Eleniel a couple of questions. She's not in any trouble-."

"Or she won't be, as long as she answers-."

"_Jensen._ But we can ask them right here, with you next to her, then we'll go and we won't bother you again. Sound good?"

Glandur glanced at me, and I sighed and nodded. "Okay." I said, crossing my arms.

"I warn you, one question I do not like, and I'm calling my sons." Glandur warned. It was quite obvious that he disliked the two men, and to be honest, I wasn't too fond of Jensen myself. But it was okay. Because I was pretty sure that it was returned.

Jared nodded and gave me a half smile. "Alright." He said, taking out a notepad. "Your father is Warren Waters?"

I nodded. "Yep." I said.

"Describe 'im." Jensen said. Glandur raised an eyebrow and Jared gave him a look that threatened to do every horribly painful thing I could think of in the space of a second. "Right. Sorry. Can you describe him, please?"

I nodded. Thank God for scary Elf men looming over me. "He's tall, about six foot three, probably about a hundred ninety-five pounds, last we checked. He looks a lot like me, but he has glasses and his hair is going gray."

He nodded and made a note. "Your mother isn't around, is she?"

I glanced at Glandur. "Not for years. She left my father when I was nine."

He gave me a sympathetic smile. "Sucks, huh?" I nodded. "Our dad split town for my eighth birthday. I know where you're coming from." He glanced at the notepad. He rattled off a few more mundane questions, about my family life, about me and dad, about the house. The he came to the last question.

"Alright, last one, I promise. Have you ever heard of something called the Secret?"

Glandur's hand tensed on my shoulder. I bit my tongue and shook my head, trying to keep a straight face. "No, sir." I said.

"Not when your dad was talking with his friends, maybe? One night when you were a kid?"

I shook my head again. "Other than the usual who's-dating-who secrets at school, nothing. Why? You interested in someone?"

Jensen muttered something, earning a sharp glare from Jared, who turned back to me and smiled again. "Okay, we were just misinformed, it looks like. Thank you anyway, Eleniel. Take care. Sorry to have bothered you."

I smiled back. "Alright, have a good day." I called as they both turned and walked back to their car. I closed the door, then burst into laughter, my head hitting the wood as I pressed my back against it, one arm going over my eyes. "Oh my God, that was _amazing!_"

Even Glandur was grinning. "You are very good at that, little _elleth_." He said.

"Are you kidding? My stepdad? That thing with your 'sons'? I wouldn't have been able to do that if I wanted to."

He shrugged. "Over the years, one becomes very adept at twisting the truth at times."

I shook my head and held up a hand. "High five." I said, then realized that he had no idea what to do. "Here." I took his wrist and coached him through it. "It's used to show approval or excitement between two people."

He gave me an amused look and chuckled, shaking his head in wonder. "What a strange place." He muttered.

**.**

**Forgive me while I show Glandur unabashed favoritism.  
><strong>


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning I woke up to someone shaking my shoulder with a rough, calloused and chanting my name over and over again.

"Eleniel. Ellen. Elle. _Hellooo_… C'mon, kid, you're about to be late… _ELENIEL._"

I jumped with a little scream, making Minuial wake up as well, giving a surprised shriek and grabbing the covers. I rubbed my eyes and saw a very amused-looking man with greying red hair sitting next to me in a chair. "Howdy, Ellen." He said.

My eyes widened and I grinned. "_HEN!_" I screamed, launching out of bed and throwing my arms around him. "Oh my God, I missed you! Where have you been? _How've_ you been? Oh my God!"

"One at a time, kiddo." He laughed, standing up so I was dangling from around his neck. "Who's your friend?"

I let go of him and looked at the reproachful Minuial, who was looking between me and Hen rapidly. "Minuial, this is my father's friend, Hen." I said. "Hen, this is Minuial. She's one of the Elves."

His bushy eyebrows shot up, and he grinned and bowed dramatically. "_Enchenté_." He said in his atrocious Louisiana accent. "Anyway, Ellie baby, you have school today, and you're about to be late."

The realization that school didn't allow snow days on account of Elves hit me like a truck and made me groan, dashing into the closet and grabbing clothes, stripping out of my pajamas and getting dressed right there. Minuial looked horrified. "You're a girl too, it's nothing you haven't seen before." I said. "Hen, go grab my dad, wilya?"

"Sure thing. Shall I wake up your other friends?"

"I think I've got it covered." I said, tugging on some jeans. "Minuial, what time does it say on the clock?"

She looked at my electric clock with confusion. "Erm… seven-hundred and thirty-eight?"

I groaned and pulled on a random shirt. "Crap. I missed the bus." I grabbed a pair of shoes and slipped one on as I hopped on one foot towards the door.

"What's so important?" She asked.

"School. I have to attend, and I've missed my main mode of transportation, so Hen will have to give me a ride. C'mon for breakfast."

I ran down the stairs and into the kitchen, grabbing the milk and eggs from the fridge and shoving bread into the toaster before taking a bowl and starting the process of making scrambled eggs. The rest of the house was slowly waking up, and Hen waltzed into the kitchen and sat down at the table leisurely. "So, Ellen." He said with a smile. "How've you been? Been doing good in school, I expect?"

I nodded. "Made honor roll last year. Looking into scholarships and colleges, but none are really sticking out yet. Can you give me a ride?" He nodded. "Thanks. So, what about you? What've you been up to? I missed you."

He shrugged. "Oh, just stuff," He said, brushing it off. "It would bore you. But then I got the call from Warren and got my ass over here." He raised an eyebrow. "So, Elves. How're you takin' it?"

I shrugged. "They're great people." I said. "We're looking after them and trying to figure out what we're supposed to do from here."

If my eyes had been sharper, I would have seen the flash of guilt in his face. "Well, don't worry, kiddo. It'll all be over with soon."

I frowned. "What do you mean?" I asked. "This group or whatever that Dad's a part of is to protect the Elves, right?"

He nodded. "Oh yeah, of course. What else would it be? You expect me to be lying to you?" He laughed quickly.

I stared at him for a long moment. Something wasn't… right. "Are you sure you're okay?" I asked.

He nodded again, waving his hand. "Of course. Tip-top. Now, once you're done with that, let's get you to school." I slowly nodded and turned back to my eggs, thinking. I don't know what I was thinking, I was just… thinking.

I heard Rinion come in. "Morning." I said, and my Elf friend grumbled and dropped into the chair, not even questioning who Hen was. I glanced over and smirked. His hair was sticking out and he looked like he wanted to just keel over. "What's the matter, not a morning person?"

"In no way, shape or form." He muttered darkly.

I laughed and tossed him a toasted bagel. "There's butter and jam in the fridge, if you want some." I called, reaching up and grabbing the salt and pepper for my eggs.

I heard him start to eat, slowly waking up. "Eleniel," He said, not quite as death-to-all as he'd been earlier. "While you're gone, would you be so kind as to find the stories that this… Tolkien man wrote? We'd like to read them."

I nodded. "Of course. Do you want the Silmarillion, the Hobbit or the Lord of the Rings?" I gave him a grin at his blank expression. "Joke. I'll just get all of them for you."

He nodded. "Thank you."

.

When I got home, I was lugging around a new history textbook and every Tolkien book I could get my hands on. I set them all down on the living room table with a dull crash, grabbing the attention of Elladan, who then looked up at me with a raised eyebrow. "Hard day of lessons?" He asked.

I sighed and sat down across from him. "I got in trouble for being late." I said. "And I forgot to do last night's homework, so I got in trouble for _that._ But I got the books that Tolkien wrote and a book on history."

He grabbed the top one – _The Silmarillion_ – and started flipping through it. An impressed look quickly flashed over his face. "And this man was guessing the entire time?" He asked.

I shrugged. "I never met him. He's been dead for awhile now."

He nodded. "Well, he was quite accurate." He muttered under his breath, then got to the appendices. "… Disturbingly so. Is there any mention of Valinor in here?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

"How about in here?" He pulled out the history textbook.

I frowned. "Well, I don't think so. Or I doubt it. But hey, you never know."

"Exactly, I'll take my chances." He started flipping through that too. "Will you find my good-for-nothing lesser half and our unfortunate friend?"

"Elrohir and Rinion, coming right up." I stood up and cracked my neck, stretching my arms overhead. "Rinion, Elrohir! Front and center, Elladan is calling you." I called, going upstairs to the bedroom, where I was hoping to crash for at least thirty minutes. Amazing how doing nothing but learning all day could be so exhausting. Not to mention demoralizing…

When I woke up and padded downstairs, it was crunch time for the Elves. They each had a book, studying it with a scrutinizing expression, none of them moving or talking. Hen and Dad were sitting at the table with put-out cigarettes and a bottle of red wine between them. I went over to Dad and sat next to him. "They're not talking?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Not a word in over an hour. Welcome back to the living, by the way."

I looked back at the Elves. They'd all settled in to their 'normal' clothes, more or less, with their ears covered, so any passerby would just think that it was a bunch of creepily ethereal people studying Tolkien. Which wasn't too far from the truth, anyway. "So who do you think those guys were earlier?" I asked.

Hen sighed and shrugged. "Who knows? But if they want the Secret, then they're dangerous. You did a good job protecting them." He half-smiled. "We're proud of you, kiddo."

I beamed at him and looked at my hands. "So," I said slowly. "What now? I mean, what do we do?"

"You guys' job right now is to take care of them, get them used to our world." Hen said, looking between Dad and I. "And you've been doing a pretty good job of it. Then when we're ready for the next part, they'll let us know."

I nodded and kicked my feet. "They're going to be okay, though, right?" I asked slowly. "I mean, they won't get hurt?"

Once again, if I'd been paying attention, I would see the flash of guilty uncertainty. "… Yeah. They'll be fine."

We were interrupted by Elladan slamming down the history book triumphantly. "I've found it." He said. Everyone looked up at the same time. "This description in the legends of Arthur? Avalon? I can assure you, that is Valinor."

I stood up and hurried over, dropping down between him and Elrohir. He pointed to a portrait of the Isles of Avalon in the book, with Arthur in the boat, the whole deal. "It's like a version of the undying lands." He said excitedly.

"You're sure?" I asked, my eyebrows going together. Avalon… who would've thought?

He nodded so fast I thought his head was going to fall off. "If we can reach it-." He started.

"We can find others." Elrohir finished grandly.

I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. "So, what you're saying that we have to do is try to find out where this is, then get a boat and sail there and just see what happens?"

"Aye." They both said at the same time.

I paused, then shrugged. "Eh, better than nothing." I said. "At least it's a plan. But the problem is, these are _legends,_ there's no definite location for these."

"_Elleth,_ every legend has a bit of truth in it." Môrwen said with a mischievous look in her eyes. "We just have to find it."

"I never said we wouldn't."

"Good." She grinned.

.

Meals with the Elves were interesting. They hadn't been with us for that long – it had been probably three days since they woke up – but already, I felt like they were a kind of extended family. Excuse my Lonely Girl Syndrome. Anyway, Dad made dinner for us, I made breakfast before school, and they made suggestions for lunch, sometimes going up to school to see what it was like.

"Here." Môrwen reached over my shoulder at the store and grabbed another bunch of herbs. "These are better. See?" She crushed a leaf between her fingers, making it crunch. "You can see that they're fresher and have more flavor in them." She dropped them into the cart gingerly and took my arm again.

"Rinion said that you were his teacher?" I asked as I pushed the cart down the aisle.

She smiled broadly. "Oh, yes. I assume he's told you of Imladris?" She asked, and I nodded. "There are two more great Elven strongholds. One is Lasgalen, or Mirkwood Forest. It's ruled by the house of Oropher, friends of Imladris. The other is the forest of Lothlórien, or the Golden Wood. Lórien is ruled by Lord Celeborn and his wife, the Lady Galadriel. And that is where I am from. I was called to Imladris when I was younger to become tutor to the son of a powerful lord, Glorfindel. There, a man from Lasgalen – Glandur – and I became his mentors, showing him the arts and the ways of the world." Her smile broadened. "You wouldn't _believe_ the trouble Rinion used to get into when he was young."

I laughed and shrugged. "I could guess." I said.

"His father was a stern man, but oh, he loved his boy, and taught him everything about Imladris there was to know. Where to hide, the best places to steal sweets from the kitchen – Glandur and I had the time of our lives trying to find him some days!" We both laughed, imagining a miniature Rinion scampering away with an armful of sweets with an exhausted Môrwen in hot pursuit.

We talked a bit more as we went through the grocery store, Môrwen grabbing packs of ingredients, clicking her tongue disappointedly, then grabbing another one in its place. "This is quite a meager selection." She muttered under her breath to herself. "Alright, do you see these? This means that…"


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay, so now we start with the plot. I can really use feedback, so any reviews will be appreciated.**

**.  
><strong>

My history teacher, Mr. Hemmingway, frowned slightly at me from his spot grading papers across his desk. "I applaud your interest in history, Eleniel," He said, pushing his glasses up from where they were usually perched on the edge of his nose. "And you know me, I've always done everything I can to help you. But what's with the sudden desire to find where Camelot was?"

I shifted in my seat, focusing on his glasses so I wouldn't have to look him in the eye. God, I hated lying to Hemmingway. I mean, I'd known him since I was in junior high, and he'd even run a fundraiser when I was in the hospital and we couldn't pay for it. And now here I was, just lying to him through my teeth.

"My family is in town." I said. "And we've always loved the stories, and we're together again for the first time in years, so we were talking the other night and decided that we wanted to see where it was. Now's as good a time as ever, we figure."

He sighed and shook his head. "Well, Ellen, you have to understand that these are ancient myths." He said. "There's no concrete evidence that it was anywhere, or if it even existed. Most of them are fictional, even though they _sometimes_ – and only _sometimes_ – have a grain of truth in them. But finding it… it's like asking to see where the Gods lived in Greek and Roman times."

I nodded. "I understand that, sir, but are you _sure_ that there aren't any theories?" I pressed.

He shrugged. "Maybe a few, but-."

The bell rang overhead, letting us know that the office was calling. "_Eleniel Waters?_" The lady in the intercom asked briskly.

"With me for tutoring." Mr. Hemmingway called.

"_Can you send her to the office with her books immediately? It's urgent._"

"She'll be there in a moment." He looked back at me. "I wish I would help you, kiddo. God knows you're bright, but I'm afraid I just don't know. You can try the library, but that's about it."

I nodded and stood up, smiling. "Thanks, Hemmingway." I said before grabbing my books and going to the front office. It only struck me halfway that something might have gone wrong with the others – Dad refused to call me out of school under any circumstances. This was weird.

Then another thought hit me – _what if someone was hurt._ I felt a cold sweat on my palms and hurried my pace, hating myself for even thinking about it.

I turned the corner and entered the office, and two men in dark black suits turned around to stare at me. I froze as the office lady pointed at me. The men walked towards me, and I backed up only to hit another one. I was surrounded on all sides by them.

"Eleniel Waters." One of them said, then took out his badge, the fluorescent lights glinting off of it. "Federal agents. You're under arrest and in government custody."

.

I was thirsty. I'd been in this room for hours, or minutes. I couldn't tell. My wrists were handcuffed to the harsh metal chair, with the table in front of me just out of my reach. A large mirror, undoubtedly two-way, covered the wall to my right.

I didn't know where I was. I'd been handcuffed and put into a van with tinted windows, with two men sitting beside me who ignored my constant questions. They drove, then took away my things, gave me a plain dress, and told me to change. Two female guards had then patted me down and brought me to this room, which was where I was now.

I tugged at the handcuffs half-heartedly and sighed, leaning my head back and closing my eyes. _What's going on?_

As if in an answer, the door swung open to let in yet another suit. He closed the door behind him and sat down across from me, silently opening a file and going through it. They were pictures, and typed reports, and photocopies of everything from doctor's notes to drawings I made in kindergarten.

I cleared my throat. "What am I doing here?" I asked. "Look, I'm underage, and you guys haven't told me anything about why I'm here, so I'm pretty sure that this is fifty shades of illegal."

Silence.

"Your name is Eleniel Margery Waters." He finally said without looking up at me. "You were born on December 2nd, 1995 to your parents, Warren Waters and Giselle Whitmore. You were a hundred centimeters, eighteen grams. Your father, who was obsessed with Tolkien Elvish names, gave you your first name, and your middle name came from your grandmother on your mother's side. Your mother left your father in 2005, and you were raised by him. You attended Jacksonville Elementary School, Stonewall Jackson Junior High, and you currently attend Shiraz High School. You make good grades, mind your own business. Your history teacher, Martin Hemmingway, looks after you and tutors you before school regularly. When you were in the hospital with pneumonia and the insurance refused to cover it, he helped start up a fundraiser car wash to pay for the doctor's bills. In short, you are a normal teenage girl." He closed the file and looked up at me. "Have I missed anything?" He asked.

I bit my lip and shifted in my seat, trying to ignore the fact that this guy who I'd never seen before in my life knew everything about me. "Why am I here?" I asked.

He clasped his hands and leaned forward. "Your father, Warren, is a part of an illegal cult group that originally operated out of the Mojave Desert area, but has moved to span internationally through a system of safe houses and contacts." He said bluntly. "We've been keeping an eye on them for quite some time now. It's a group that deals with the care of six individuals trapped in suspended animation."

A cold sweat drenched my palms. _Protect the Secret._

His eyes were boring into my head like drills. "Now Miss Waters, we just can't have those individuals running around. They are a cult and essentially a threat to national security. If they reveal what they have, it could mean widespread chaos and anarchy, and it is my job to stop that from happening. So right now, I need you to tell me everything you know, starting with where they are."

I bit back any number of retorts and put on a confused expression. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about. I-is this a joke?"

His face tightened. "Miss Waters, I can assure you that you _will_ cooperate eventually. And if you tell us what we need to know _now_, it will make things so much easier for you. We need to know where these people are, and what they're doing. So please. Where are they?"

"I don't know who you're talking about."

His jaw tightened even further. "Your father is a criminal, Eleniel, and it's our job to stop him and people like him. If you don't help me, you're helping him, and that makes you a criminal too. This is your last chance. _Where are they._"

"I don't know who you're talking about! Please, I just want to go home." He stood up and picked up the pictures, putting them back in the file and turning to the door without another word. Panic started to grip me – oh God, why was this happening? "_I JUST WANT TO GO HOME!_" I screamed at his back as he closed the door.

Then I was alone again. I clenched my eyes shut, and I started to cry.

.

**_At the school…_**

Glandur had finally figured out the 'car' that was used as transportation in this age, and though the basic traffic laws still baffled him at times, he was by far the best driver out of the group. The thought of the Sons of Elrond driving the craft was terrifying at best.

Through all the confusion and near-accidents, he managed to drive to the school with the others to talk to Eleniel and see what she'd learned from her teachers. He pulled into the parking lot, with minimum damage to the car, and came to a stop in the designated space.

"Let's go." Elladan said, starting to get out.

"Wait." Môrwen suddenly said, grabbing his wrist and stopping him. He turned around, and she nodded to a car that was by the entrance. Four men in dark suits were escorting someone out of the building and into the car with their hands behind her back.

It was Eleniel.

What ensued what a wrestling match between the three younger men and the others to keep them in the car. Finally, Rinion sat back and glared at Glandur, watching was the men forced Eleniel into the car. "What's happening?" He asked, even though he knew that no one was going to be able to answer.

Glandur turned around. "Minuial, call Warren." He ordered quickly. "Elladan, you and Rinion go with Môrwen and talk with the teacher. Find out all you can. Elrohir, we're following the men. Go."

The four other Elves peeled out of the car, Minuial trying to operate the cheap cell phone they'd been given with shaking hands and Rinion guiding her along towards the school. Glandur sighed, then started the car again and pulled out, following the men.

The phone picked up after a few rings. "Hello?" Warren asked.

Minuial took a deep breath. "People have taken Eleniel." She said shakily, forgetting to identify herself.

"_WHAT?!_"

"We just got to the school. Four men were taking her away. Glandur and Elrohir are following them-."

"_No._" Warren ordered harshly, even though it sounded like it was breaking him. "All of you, get out of there, _now._ You are our first priority-."

There was hammering in the background on the door. Minuial's eyes widened as she heard scuffling, and yelling, and a grunt and a crash, followed by loud yelling. "Get out of there! Stay safe!" She heard Warren bellow before everything went quiet, only with murmuring in the background.

After a minute, someone picked up the phone, and one voice came from the murmuring. "… he was calling someone. Hello? This is the police, who is this?"

Minuial hurriedly shut the phone. The others were staring at her with concern. "The police have Warren." She said quickly.

She heard a muttered curse from Môrwen and louder ones from the boys. They all hesitated, then Elladan slowly said "We cannot go back to the house until they leave. We have to go and talk to the teacher."

.

Glandur stopped the car on the side of the road, allowing himself a muttered curse. "They're gone." He said darkly.

Elrohir opened the door and got out, scanning the road ahead of them to make sure. Sure enough, the car had disappeared, seemingly into thin air. He sighed, then got back into the car. Half of him wanted to sprint down the road until he caught up to the men and could tear each of them apart one by one, like an Orc hunt. But the other, more sensible half knew that it would dangerous not only to himself, but to the others.

"Call Minuial." Glandur said. The former tutor had dropped all formal addresses by now and was gripping the wheel tightly to keep himself from doing something idiotic. Elrohir nodded and fished out the other cell phone. Warren and Eleniel had scrounged up enough money to buy two basic phones at the supermarket, just in case they needed to call back to the house in an emergency. And this counted as an emergency.

He finally worked it and called. "Hello?" Rinion said on the other end.

"Rinion. It's Elrohir."

"Thank Elbereth – what's happened? Do you have Eleniel?"

He shook his head, then realized that Rinion couldn't see it. "No." He said. "We lost them. What's happened there?"

Rinion rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. "Warren has been taken by the police." He said. "We've gone back to the house, there's no one left. We don't know where the friend is. But it's not safe to stay there anymore. We asked the teacher about the legends. He said that they were based in a place called the British Isles, but there is no exact location." He paused. "What are we going to do?"

Elrohir sighed as well and shrugged. "We don't know." He said. "We will return to the house shortly."

"Elrohir, the teacher says that he knows people who can help." Rinion added quickly, like he'd almost forgotten. "We told him that Eleniel was taken, and he told us that he had two friends who would help us find Eleniel. He said that they were… lawyers?"

Elrohir's eyebrow raised. "… Don't do anything until we return." He said, then hung up the phone and turned to Glandur. "They got a general area where the legends were based, but no locations. The house is deserted. And the teacher has offered his assistance."

Glandur nodded and started the car again. "We need to find them." He said simply as he turned it around and started down the road.


	8. Chapter 8

**_At the complex…_**

The handcuffs were taken off of me by a guard eventually. I could stand up, move around, stretch if I needed to. God, I was tired. I had no idea how long I'd been in there, or what was going on. I couldn't stop going over what the suit had said. He'd said that Dad was part of a cult. I could tell for a _fact_ that that wasn't true… couldn't I?

The door's lock suddenly bolted open. My eyes snapped open and I sat up from where I'd been attempting sleep slouched in the chair, and I looked to see who it was.

And Jared came into the room.

I gritted my teeth with irritation. "What're you doing here?" I demanded. Can I just not be arrested in peace?

"My job." He said, quickly walking to me. His voice lowered. "Listen, I know this is weird, but I need you to trust me. I'm getting you out of here." That shocked me enough for him to pull me up and fake putting the handcuffs back on. "The Elves are outside." He muttered as he led me out of the room and down a plain, sterile hallway.

"What Elves?" I asked in a weak attempt to hide the Secret.

"The ones who asked my brother for help." He guided me out, ducking his head down when we came to a security camera. His longer hair covered his face, and conveniently, his identity.

"Long hair comes in handy, huh?" I muttered.

"Oh, you have no idea."

After awhile of me asking questions and him not answering me, we came close to a door that looked like it led outside. I could see the starts of a sunrise from the window. We were almost there… then an alarm started to blare loudly.

Before we knew it, people were spilling out from behind us. "_GO!_" Jared barked, shoving me forward, and I sprinted out of the doors with him hot on my heels.

We stumbled out of the… complex, I guess, and towards a fence. He skidded to a stop and lifted up where he'd cut the wires, shooing me under before following and taking something from under his arm. "What are you doing?!" I demanded as he started pushing buttons. The suits were getting closer. "Come on!"

He finally finished whatever he was doing and dragged me after him. We disappeared into a forest. And just as we got in, something exploded behind us. The force sent us flying through the air, and I crashed to a stop on the ground. Pain flashed through me, but Jared grabbed the back of my shirt and hauled me up, throwing me back into a running position even though my senses were screaming in pain. "Keep going." He commanded.

After what seemed like forever, we got out of the woods, where Dad's car was parked. But instead of my father driving, it was Glandur. The door was thrown open, and Jared all but tossed me into the backseat before jumping in after me. I was caught by a very surprised and extremely concerned Rinion. "Eleniel!" He grabbed my arm and started examining the scrapes as Glandur wheeled out of there. "Are you well? What did they do to you?"

"Where's dad?" I gasped.

He sighed. "We will tell you later." He said as my head hit the back of the seat. "Just rest now."

I closed my eyes and melted into the seat. I was tired, confused, and even as Rinion was talking, I dropped into a deep sleep.

.

_When I was seven, my mother knelt in front of me and told me to go to my room and close my eyes. She told me to count to six thousand, and when I did, I could come out. So I went upstairs, sat on my bed and began to count…_

"Eleniel."

My eyes snapped open as I was jolted from sleep. For a moment I thought I was back at home – then I started to remember, and I looked around. It was a cheap motel room with pull-out beds and pallets on the floor. I groaned and covered my eyes as my head pounded, and a hand rested on my back. "Easy." Someone – one of the twins – said soothingly. "Calm down, _elleth_, it's us. You're safe."

I rubbed my eyes, then opened them and looked around again. I had bandages swathed around my head and arms. "What happened?" I asked, smacking my dry mouth.

The mentioned twin – probably Elrohir, but I couldn't tell yet – grabbed a glass of water and gently guided it into my hand. "You were taken." He said. "We spoke to your teacher, and he offered his friends to help us find you."

I gladly gulped down the water, even though it was a little stale. "Where's Dad and Hen?" I asked.

He paused. "… Your father was taken as well." He said. My heart stopped. "We could not find Hen."

A million things were running through my mind all at once, none of them making any sense at all. I put my head in my hands and clenched my eyes shut, locking my jaw to keep from screaming with frustration. God, this was all happening too fast. It hadn't even been a week and these damned Elves had gotten me and my father _kidnapped!_

I slowly calmed down and felt a rush of guilt at what I'd been thinking. I took a deep breath and relaxed. _Protect the Secret._ I told myself. "Where are the others?" I asked.

"In the other room. I thought it best to let you rest away from all of them."

I swung my legs out of bed and cracked my neck. "We need to get moving." I muttered absentmindedly, trying to piece together a plan. Alright, step one – find Valinor. Easy enough. "What did Hemmingway tell you?"

"That the best place to start our search is the British Isles. He also gave us the phone number for someone he thought would be able to help us locate you."

I remembered Jared and groaned. "Alright." I muttered, standing up. Elrohir immediately grabbed my arm and helped me up. "I've got it, I've got it. We need to talk to these guys, right now." I gingerly limped to the door, and though he wasn't holding my elbow anymore, his hand was still hovering and ready to catch me if I fell. Sweet guy.

He opened the door, and the chattering in the other room suddenly stopped. Before I knew what was happening, Môrwen had me crushed in a tight hug. "Oh, are you well?" She pulled me away and started examining me.

But once she decided that I wasn't going to keel over, that was when the lecturing started.

"Dear _Elbereth_, child! Do you have any sense in that head of yours?! For the love of the Valar, you sent us all in a frenzy trying to find you! It's a miracle that your teacher was able to direct us to these two!" She flapped a hand at Jensen, who was at the moment cleaning out a gun. _What the-?_ "Eleniel!" My attention snapped back to the infuriated Elf in front of me. "You're lucky we're not keeping you under lock and key every waking moment. From now on, you will always be escorted by one of the boys, if not myself. Am I clear?"

I nodded meekly. "Yes, ma'am." I heard a snort from Elladan, who straightened up when Môrwen turned her severe glare to him.

Eventually, she calmed down and made me sit down, bustling into the tiny kitchenette that smelled like she was brewing some kind of tea. I sighed and leaned forward. "Why are they here?" I asked, nodding to Jensen and Jared. I had just woken up and had gotten chewed out. Forgive me if I'm frustrated.

Rinion cleared his throat, and the look on his face told me that I'd be getting a similar lecture from him later. "We went to speak to your teacher." He said. "Martin? We told him that you'd been taken, and he gave us this man's contact information. He said that he was a… lawyer?"

Jensen cleared his throat awkwardly when I raised an eyebrow. "Martin and I went to high school together." He admitted. "He thinks that Jared and I are lawyers in Indiana."

I snorted. "Nice." I said. "So you two decided that the only logical thing to do was to break me out?"

He shrugged. "Why not? After all, it's me and Jared's job to interfere with the supernatural."

"Another thing." I looked back at Rinion. "_What in the name of God possessed you to tell them that you were Elves?!_ Rinion…"

He held up his hands. "They suspected." He said, then paused in hesitation, like there was more to the story. "And Eleniel… you may want to hear this."

I looked back at Jensen and Jared, who'd just finished typing something on his laptop. He sighed and clasped his hands, leaning forward on his knees. "The Secret's been around for a long time." He said slowly. "They've had a lot of people working to protect it. And Jensen and I used to work very closely to the inside operation."

He hung his head and paused for another long moment. "The core operation is something completely different." He finally said. "They have a plan mapped out. They move the six containers from safe house to safe house, keeping them preserved and telling the families protecting them that it was for a higher purpose." He took another deep breath. "The containers each held a canister of a non-lethal gas. If they didn't wake up by 2015, the canisters would be released and force the resurfacing. But that would have caused severe loss of memory and even brain damage in excess. When it came to your family, the canisters bumped against the wall, right?"

I shrugged. "I guess. I was seven then, and I can barely remember last Tuesday."

He nodded. "Well, it dislodged the canister. And it started leaking. They weren't supposed to wake up for at least another century."

I looked back at the Elves. "You're saying they have _brain damage?_" I asked. I didn't know a lot about Elvish anatomy, but they _didn't_ have brain damage, that much I could tell. "And how do you know?"

He shook his head. "Probably just some memory loss. And Jensen and I went to your place and scanned the containers, more than half of the canisters were still there. So mentally, they're fine."

I decided to ignore the fact that these guys had been inside my house snooping around and moved on to the next big question. "How do you even know all of this?"

He shrugged. "Our mom had one of the safe houses." He said. "We got the Secret when I was ten, and it moved on when I was sixteen. I always wanted to work with them, unlike my brother here, so I managed to work my way into the central operation-."

"So what was your job?" I crossed my arms and leaned back into the couch. All of this just _felt_ wrong.

He paused again, like he didn't want to talk anymore. "When the Secret woke up, the safe house was supposed to call for help." He said quietly. "Someone then goes and stays with them, then reports a good time. This is where I come in."

He cleared his throat. "I was trained to go into the houses and take the Elves to a facility. I knew the way, but not what happens after that. But about a month ago I looked deeper into it. It's a research facility, and not a very nice one. They would treat the Elves and examine them for how they managed to keep the Earth healthy during their rule. I saw the operations that they'd do. They were disgusting – inhumane. Like they were going to treat you guys, pretty much _human beings,_ like lab rats."

He looked from the Elves back to me. "You have to believe me, we _didn't know_. Jensen and I got as much information as we could, found out where the Secret was, and we've been trying to find you ever since to warn you."

I was gripping the sofa so tightly that I thought my fingers were going to break. My skin was crawling and my mind was screaming, but it all made sense in some kind of sick, twisted way. My stomach twisted. "I'm gonna be sick." I muttered before stumbling away to the restroom.

.

Ten minutes later, I wished I could go back in time and slap myself in the face for _ever_ wanting the Elves to wake up.

"We need a safe house." Jared said as he helped Môrwen clean up in the kitchen. The aforementioned Elf sat beside me and gave me a steaming mug of medicinal tea – or so I assumed. You can never tell with Môrwen.

I nodded. "We can't go back to my house." I said, feeling a knife twisting in my chest. "They'll expect us to and put up a trap or something. So we have to go somewhere else, someone they won't expect to be connected to us." I glanced up at Jensen and Jared.

They exchanged glances and shook their heads. "Sorry, kid." Jensen said half-heartedly. "Our mom died in a fire a couple of years ago, and in our line of work you don't exactly get close to people."

I sighed and sipped at the tea, feeling my muscles relax. God bless Môrwen. "So, what?" I said, feeling a nagging idea at the back of my head that I refused to acknowledge.

But of course, Jared called me out on it. "Your mom separated from your dad, didn't she? What about her?"

I clenched my jaw and shook my head. "My mother doesn't want anything to do with me." I said shortly. "I asked her to stay, she made her choice. And she doesn't want to talk. If she did, she would have already. It's not like it's been seven years or anything."

Jared sighed. "Look, Eleniel." He said. "Believe me, I know that separated parents suck… but she's still your mom. And you have to respect that."

I shook my head again. "No."

"Hey, at least you _have_ a mom." Jensen said a bit testily. "We had to watch ours go up in flames, and we _still_ can't find our dad. At least _your_ parents are still alive-."

"_Jensen._" Jared gave me another apologetic smile. "Sorry."

"Let her do what she wishes." Glandur ordered in his usual fashion before glancing over at me. "Eleniel?"

I sighed and turned the mug in my hand, taking a deep gulp and wincing as it scalded the back of my throat. Mom hadn't called or written since she'd left. Under any kind of normal circumstances, I wouldn't even consider giving her the time of day. _She_ left _us_, remember? But these weren't normal circumstances.

My shoulders slumped. "Alright."

**.**

**Okay so I literally cannot stop writing this but I'm limiting this to one chapter per day so as to not overwhelm you. Once again, please review. Bless you.  
><strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**I owe you guys an explanation.**

**So over Christmas break, I went to Dallas to spend time with my mother because my father had to send us up. And we took that chance to call CPS to protect us from my father, who was pretty much keeping us there against our will and doing horrible things to me and my brother. I'm trying to get my stuff back and keep my school credits, but he's trying his hardest to make this difficult for us.  
><strong>

**SO. Moral of the story, I'm trying my hardest, but it may be a little while until the next chapter. I hope you enjoy this one.**

**.**

_Ring… ring… click._ "Hello?" A woman said on the other end of the line.

I clear my throat and grabbed Glandur's hand, who gave me a surprised look before gripping it supportingly with a small smile. "M-mom?" I squeaked.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"I-it's me. Eleniel."

Silence. "… Eleniel…" My mother paused for a long moment before whispering. "Oh honey…"

I bit my lip. "Hi."

"H-hi." She laughed nervously. "Well… how are you? It's been awhile, huh?"

"Yeah."

"… Is your father around? Does he need something?" There was a hint of bitterness in her voice.

"N-no." I cleared my throat again. God, I suddenly couldn't speak English anymore. "No, he-he's out right now. I-it's just me. But I need some help."

"What's wrong, honey? Are you in trouble?"

"No." _Yes._ "I'm… doing a project for school." _I'm on the run from the law._ "Some friends and I need to move in with a family for a few months. It's really stupid, but our principal gave us permission." _I'm with two God-knows-what-the-hell-they-do guys and six immortal Elves, and we're trying to find a land going only on a fantasy series and old Arthurian legends._

"Well." She sounded surprised… and… _reluctant_. "Are you sure? Wouldn't you rather stay with your father?"

I squeezed Glandur's hand and gripped at the cell phone, biting my lips again to keep from crying. God, I knew that this would happen. "If you don't want me-."

"No!" She cried, surprisingly. "No, honey, it's not that, I promise. It's just… well, it's been a long time since we've seen each other, and I do have a life, you know… and a lot's happened…" Silence fell between us. "Hon… are you sure?"

I wanted nothing more than to reach through the phone and strangle her. But since it wasn't just me, I heard myself say "Of course I do! You're in New Hampshire, right…?"

.

"Do you want me to knock for you?" Jared asked me quietly.

I took a shaky breath and nodded quickly. After almost eight hours stuck in a car with two grown men, two girls, and evidently four eternally six-year-old boys, I was tense and tired. Being on my mother's doorstep was not helping. Oh God, this was it. I was about to see my _mother_ for the first time in seven years. I couldn't breathe. What if she...?

"Eleniel." I looked up to see Rinion put his hands on my shoulders and turn me to face him. I gulped at his severe look. "Listen to me, _elleth._ You do not have to seek out her approval. Even if she is the spawn of Morgoth himself, she is your mother and deserves your respect, but you are your own person and do not have to let her let her tread over you." He tightened his hands and smiled slightly. "We are your friends, and we are here to help you. Do not forget that." With that, he turned me back around and nodded at Jared. Jared glanced at me and lifted up his hand.

_Knock, knock, knock._

I reached out and grabbed Rinion's hand and I closed my eyes. To my surprise, he squeezed it reassuringly, and I could see that half-smile. But even if he smiled at me for the rest of my life, it would never change the shaking that rattled me to my bones. I couldn't do this. I couldn't breathe. God, just kill me right here... The door opened. I gripped his hand fiercely and bit my lip. "Hi." I said without opening my eyes.

"Who are you?" My eyes opened in surprise at the question. Instead of my mother, a solemn-faced little boy with an untamed mop of dark brown hair was standing in front of me. He had my eyes - my mother's eyes. There was no mistaking it. _Oh my God, I have siblings._

"Hi." I repeated, trying to smile, but failing. How in God's name could I have a little brother?

He stepped back mistrustfully. "Who _are_ you?" He demanded again. "My papa's a soldier, so if you hurt me he'll beat you up."

"Young man-." I heard Glandur start to rumble ominously, and the little boy's eyes widened.

"Your papa won't have to beat us up." I interrupted, grabbing his attention back. Rinion squeezed my hand, and I felt a wave of confidence. _I can do this._ "We're friends, we won't hurt you. Um... What's your name?"

"Daniel." He said after a moment, then tilted his head at me, like he was examining me. "You have pretty eyes."

"I... well, thank you. So do you." I shifted. "Is... Is your mama home, Daniel? We need to talk with her."

He nodded and scampered off. "Mama!" He wailed as he went. "A pretty lady and her scary daddy are here to see you!"

" 'Scary daddy'?" Elladan asked with amusement. "Yet another well-earned title, Glandur-."

"My Lord, this is a serious occasion, and as such, I will not hesitate to throw you into those bushes." Glandur threatened, making me smirk at an equally amused Rinion - crap. We were still holding hands.

I quickly pulled my hand back and focused on the doorframe, trying not to blush. Of all the times to be feminine, it was with an Elf that I was raised to guard. It was decency; I couldn't just _hold hands_ with him...

The door opened, and my mother was standing there. She was older and a little broader, but she was most definitely my mother. _Screw decency._ I grabbed Rinion's hand again and squeezed so hard that I was surprised I wasn't breaking fingers. My mother looked how I felt; she opened her mouth a few times, gripping the doorframe as she was searching for words. "Eleniel." She finally said.

It was Rinion's turn to have my hand in a vice-like grip. "Hi, mom." I squeaked. This was it.

.

"So, remind me. You're doing a project for school?" My mother asked as she led us through her massive, straight-from-a-movie house. I felt like if I breathed, I'd break something.

"Yes, ma'am." Elladan answered for me. I swear, he could charm the socks off of a fox. "We are taking turns staying with our families for a time, and then writing a report on it. You are the last one, then we will be ready for the presentation." He flashed a smile.

"They're my friends." I said hurriedly. "We're doing something for school where we miss school to study family structures, what life is like with them, the works. And I wanted us to stay with you."

She nodded slowly. "And they are...?" She gestured to Glandur and Môrwen.

"Chaperones. They're Dan and Ro's grandparents and wanted to keep an eye on us." I forced a grin. _I am the worst liar. If this works, I'm washing my mouth out with liquid soap._ "Rinion's my age, he lives with Jared and Jensen." The J-2 duo both smiled at the mention of them.

"And they're... how old?"

"My brother's eighteen, and I'm nineteen. Failed the second grade." Jensen grinned charismatically. He's not quite as charming as Elladan, but pretty close. "Our mom died when we were kids, and since we didn't really have a dad, I got us a place to live last year. We're both seniors working on something to put on our college applications."

My mother grinned and nodded. "Well, this is unexpected. But welcome anyway." She kept on walking. "Ellie, I'd like a bit more of a heads-up next time?"

I bit back a retort. "Yes, ma'am."

Daniel bounded up, followed by... another Daniel? Great. I have _twin_ brothers. "Mama!" He yelled, grabbing her hand and pulling. "Ronnie broke the TV!"

"No, I didn't! He did!" The other brother - Ronnie, I guess - screamed, yanking on her other hand.

"Come and fix it!" They yelled together.

"_BOYS!_" They fell silent. "We have guests. This is your sister Eleniel, and her friends. They're gonna be staying with us for awhile. Do you wanna say hi?"

"Hi, Eleniel." They chimed, their solemn eyes staring up at me like something out of '_The Shining_'.

"Hi, guys." I forced out with an equally forced grin. Was that a bed in there? Or how about that carpet? I would sleep standing up if I could.

One of the Daniels looked up at my mother. "Mommy, she's the one who was at the door!" He piped. That would be Daniel, then. He had a tiny freckle above his right eye, a fact I set myself to memorizing.

"Yes, she was. She came to see Mommy, so why don't you and Ronnie go and play for a little while?"

"But Mama, the TV is broken!" Ronnie whined, yanking on her hand. "C'mon, fix it? Please? Please, please, please, pl-."

Jensen cleared his throat. "Uh, ma'am?" He asked. "I, uh, I know how to fix TVs. I'll do it for you, if you'd like me to."

My mother looked so happy I thought she was going to cry. "Please." She almost begged in a voice dripping with relief. Jensen was swept away by the howling kids, to me and Jared's amusement and everyone else's slight alarm. "Eleniel, your stepfather will be home soon, if you and your friends would like to help us make dinner."

I frowned slightly. "Brennan?" I asked. I remembered the tattooed jerk better than I wanted to, probably because he always smelled like beer.

My mother laughed and shook her head, waving her hand. "Oh, honey. He's long gone. No, his name is Lawrence." She pushed open a bedroom door and picked up a cardboard box. "This used to be his mother's house, and when she died she left it to us. I think she wanted us to have more kids. She always was a meddler."

The twins went and took the box from her. "We can help." They said at the same time, giving each other _looks_ and doing that weird twin-mind-reading thing.

She smiled - and I mean full out grinned. The woman in front of me wasn't the woman who left my father and I. She was... different. Happier. As she thanked them and set to ordering us all around and figuring out sleeping arrangements, I couldn't help but just stare at her; she was just a completely different person. And I wasn't sure that was a bad thing.


	10. Chapter 10

"… 'Let those who cursed my name, curse me still, and whine their way back to the cages of the Valar. Let the ships burn!' "

My brothers were staring up at Minuial, whose voice was shaking from reading. "Why, Minnie?" They asked in unison. "Why is he burning the ships?" Ron asked when Danny quieted down, his voice quavering from distress. They had been enraptured by Minuial for almost an hour now as she read to them tirelessly while I helped the boys clear off the table and add a few extra leaves while Mom and Môrwen cooked together.

She cleared her voice and swiped at the corner of her eye. "Fëanor was a very angry man." She said, her voice sounding thick with emotion. "And he was so furious that he did not care who he hurt, so long as someone else was suffering with him."

He crossed his arms. "I don't like him." He declared.

"And why is that?"

"He's mean!"

"Little one, his prized treasures are being stolen away from him. He is angry and desperate. Perhaps with thought, you could understand his fury and his rage."

"Shut up, Ronnie!" Danny commanded before staring up at Minuial adorningly. I hid my laugh behind my hand and earned a sharp look on Minuial's part. While she may be a jerk sometimes, I had to live with her, and she was taking care of my newfound brothers, so I wiped the smirk off and concentrated on setting the table, which the boys seemed unable to do.

"She's good." Mom said from next to me as she worked on a huge pot of spaghetti.

I shrugged. "Eh, she's okay." I muttered. Minuial gave me an unreadable glance as she continued to read.

"I'm really glad you called, Eleniel." Mom stated without looking up from the steaming pot. "I used to try and call you, you know. Back in the first days. But your father always told me that you hated me and didn't want to talk to me."

I cleared my throat awkwardly. "Well, he was right about that." I said, not trying to make eye contact and wishing fervently for Rinion or one of the twins or part of the J-2 duo to come barging in with a problem for me to fix. "And I think I had a right to."

She sighed and finally turned to face me. "Ellie, I-."

The front door banged open and closed. "I'm home!" A man yelled from the front hall. Saved by the mysterious man.

"_Daddy!_" The little twins screeched, scrambling towards the man's voice. Minuial closed the book and hurried past me to where the others were hiding, her head ducked and the book tucked protectively under her arm.

"Ah, boys! C'mere!" I stared at my hands nervously as I heard footsteps coming towards us. The next moment, a man appeared with the boys on his hips, laughing loudly with a broad smile. His laughter made me want to smile and laugh with him. He was taller than me by about two heads, so his only rival for height was Glandur, and even then I think he had the Elf beaten by a good three inches. He grinned at my mother and leaned to kiss her cheek. It struck me that I'd never seen a man look so lovingly at his wife. "Hello, beautiful." He said before spotting me. He raised an eyebrow. "And hello, uh…?"

"Lawrence, this is my daughter from Warren, Eleniel." Mom answered for me, staring up at him adoringly. _I'm stuck in a love song. Help._ "She and her friends have to do a school project and they wanted to use our house as an example for family structure and the like."

"Well, welcome." Lawrence grinned again and set the boys down, extending his hand. "My home's your home, and if you're Giselle's daughter, then you're mine too. Lieutenant Lawrence Camp, at your service." He took a dramatic bow. "Though I also answer to Dad, Papa, Looey, Camp, and Asshat."

"Lawrence!" Mom smacked him with a towel. "Mind your language!"

"What's an asshat?" The little twins asked in unison.

"It's what your father is, sweetie."

"See? Works like a charm." He glanced over my shoulder into the dining room. "And hello to your silent friends! Are they going to join us?"

Elladan and Elrohir appeared out of thin air next to me, one on each side. "Elladan and Elrohir, at your service, sir." One of them said, mimicking his bow. "Though we answer to Dan, Ro, and Ellahir. We both answer to the last one."

"You guys are too cheeky for your own good." I found myself laughing and introducing everyone in turn. Lawrence just… made me want to laugh. Maybe he wasn't such a dick after all. "These are my friends, Rinion, Minerva, Jared and Jensen. Those are Rinion's grandparents, Garret and Molly."

We ate dinner (which seemed to puzzle my Elven charges) and by the end of the night, the little twins were tiring themselves out with Jared, Jensen and the older twins. Lawrence was laughing with Glandur over some red wine that Mom had dug up, and Môrwen was gossiping with Mom and Minuial, leaving Rinion and I to sit there awkwardly and sometimes smile at each other.

"Ellie!" Lawrence grinned, wheeling around to face me. "C'mon, let's put the kids to bed."

"With all due respect, sir, I believe that Eleniel isn't quite as good with children as she thinks." Rinion gave me a smirk, and I punched his arm.

"I am too, you jerk! And I'll prove it!"

"That will be the day." He raised his eyebrows and laughed when I shoved his shoulder and stood up. He and Lawrence exchanged _looks_, and the next moment I was swarmed by the twins.

"Ellie, Ellie, read us the story that Minnie was reading us!" Ronnie demanded. I could hear Minuial choke from the dining room.

"Nuh-uh, that ain't a bedtime story!"

"Ron, use proper English." Lawrence snagged a book from a bookshelf as we entered the boys's room. "Will this do?" They cheered and rocketed into their matching beds, and in record time they were looking up at us expectantly. Lawrence grinned at me and handed the book to me. "The folded page is their favorite." He said.

I stared at the battered book of fairy tales and looked back up, knowing that I was flushing. "Sir, I don't think that I should-."

"I hear 'sir', and I look for my Sergeant back in Afghanistan." He cracked a grin. "Go on. You're their big sister, you should be the one to read to them. They'll love you forever."

_Big sister._ I smiled, then sat on Dan's bed next to him and opened the book to the aforementioned folded page. Immediately, my eyes widened and the air was pushed from my body at the glossy tapestry-style picture and at the title.

"_The Tale of Lord Glandur The Brave and His Love, Lady Môrwen The Fair_." I read aloud slowly, then glanced down at the kids, who nodded. I wet my lips, then read the story.

.

_In a land far, far away, there lived a young lord named Glandur the Brave. He was one of the Aelfin kind, and was immortal and fair above the race of Men. He was the right-hand man of the king, as well as a friend of the Queen and the Princes. He had fought in many wars, and had defeated many great foes, and his face held scars to show his conquests. He was renowned and respected all across the realm as a hero and a force to be reckoned with._

_One day, however, a rider arrived with word from a neighboring kingdom, requesting the best tutor they had. Another young Lord and Lady were coming of age, he said, and they were to have the best education that the lands had to offer. The king sent Glandur, as he was the bravest and the wisest of his guard._

_After many months, Glandur arrived in the new land and met the boy and girl he was to tutor. The was the son of an old battle mate of Glandur's, and the two men greeted each other with warmth and happiness; the girl was also the daughter of an old friend, though he had passed away, and Glandur treated her with the respect he knew that her family deserved. Glandur began to teach the young lord and lady, whose names were Rinion and Minuial, everything he had to offer._

_One day, a rider arrived with a hood over their head and a proud emblem held high above their head. They were from the third kingdom from the north, and was the best tutor from there. Then they threw back their hood, and revealed the most beautiful woman that Glandur had ever seen. He immediately fell in love with her._

_But she was to marry another man, from her land. She had been raised betrothed to him as an alliance between houses. Her name was Môrwen, and she was the handmaiden of the Queen of the Golden Wood. She and Glandur tutored Rinion and soon became friends. Môrwen had also seen war, though she was the one who would pick up the dead and heal the wounded; nonetheless a noble job._

_By the time that summer turned into fall, Môrwen and Glandur fell in love with each other in a secret affair. Môrwen promised to run away with him and to break her betrothal. "I love you more than any prince or king under the sun." She promised him. "I would rather have you as a penniless fisherman than a man who I do not love as the king of the world."_

_But Glandur did not want to cause another great war if he stole her away, so he soon sent her back to her home, telling himself that it was for the best. Glandur married a woman who resembled Môrwen in face, but not in soul, and had a pair of twins, a son and daughter. He heard that Môrwen had married her lord and hoped that she was happy._

_Then another war arose, and Glandur sent away his wife and children to be safe. He and Rinion's father donned their battle armor and rode into the fight. But while he was fighting, the enemy army rode and found his family, and kidnapped them._

_The next day, they brought them to the front line before the battle, and as Glandur watched and was unable to do anything, they ripped out his wife's throat and killed his children as they screamed for their mother and their father._

.

I stopped and took a breath to keep my voice from choking up, my eyes closing. I couldn't breathe. Oh God… Glandur…

"Keep going! It's the best part!" Dan kicked me, though his eyes were filled with sleepy wonder and adoration. I smiled at him shakily, then continued to read, no matter how much it hurt.

.

_Glandur fell to his knees when he saw this, and fought harder than he'd ever fought before. But for all of his fury, he was gravely hurt and was felled. The army trod over him and left him for dead, not even realizing that he had fallen._

_Môrwen had heard of the war and had ridden as quickly as she could to Glandur's aid, letting her husband march to war as he would please. He arrived in the camp to the news that both her husband and Glandur were missing and were likely dead. Môrwen keened and mourned, not for her husband, but for Glandur, the man who she truly loved._

_She rode back to the battlefield to see the carnage with her own eyes. She saw Glandur and pulled him from the wreckage. He was almost dead; it was a wound of the soul. She did not know how truly he loved her, but she stayed with him and she nursed him back to health, until he opened his eyes and saw her sitting next to him. She told him everything that had happened since they had last seen each other, how she had always remained faithful and had insisted on keeping her marriage symbolic. He was so moved by her fidelity that he professed his undying love to her and swore to protect her until his dying day._

_They grew old and married, and they swore that nothing would ever come between their love again. They lived happily ever after. The end._

.

I closed the book and saw that Lawrence had left the room. The boys were fast asleep. I was glad; I stood up, went into the bathroom, and I cried.

**.**

**Okay. I have no excuse.**

**But here, have an extra-long chapter! And you got some backstory! I really loved writing this. And Minuial is reading the kids "_The Silmarillion_". Nice, light reading, huh? Please review! I'm not dead, I promise!**


End file.
